This invention relates to a medical device and more particularly to a holder in which a syringe-needle unit can be held to facilitate the needle insertion procedure as an adjunct of administering medication from the syringe or alternatively in aspirating body fluid samples for test purposes.
The prospect of receiving, or as for example, in the instance of insulin-dependent diabetics, the self-administering of an injection can cause anxiety or even trepidation in the mind of the recipient and this can be particularly true in the case of children. While many medical nurses, technicians and the like become adept at administering injections, there are nonetheless occasions when the insertion of the needle into a recipient's body is accompanied by unnecessary pain and discomfort as where an unintentional movement or pressure may be exerted by the technician. This also can be manifest where the injection is totally under the control of the recipient where self-administering of medication such as insulin is practiced. To overcome some of the disadvantages associated with injection procedures and in an effort to standardize or provide constant repeatability of the needle injection movement, injectors or holders for the syringe-needle unit were developed. While these known types of injectors have helped to some extent especially for use where self-administered injection is involved, they still present a number of problems in use. For one thing all these injectors utilize spring mechanisms to control needle insertion movement. However the release of the spring produces vibratory or shaking motion in the needle that detracts from the safety of the insertion and can be the cause of considerable discomfort or even pain for the user. Thus one of the principal aims in having provided an injector is thwarted because the construction and use of same is supposed to reduce the pain effect of an injection.
Further, these types of injectors generally require sterilization of the components thereof prior to use. Because it is difficult to assume that the user is always in a position to provide the conditions required for sterilization, this requirement can be a detriment to successful use of such injectors. In addition, some of the injectors require assembly of components about the syringe-needle unit and if same are not sterile the needle can become contaminated by contact thereof with a component, a not uncommon happening.
The majority of known injectors do not give proper attention to injector size and shape, aspects which are very consequential for proper and effective use of such devices. From the standpoint of technical simplicity and inexpensive costs, known injectors are almost all lacking in measuring up to these criteria. These known devices are for the most part complicated in construction and relatively expensive and so to the point that they are produced only in small quantities.
Accordingly, it is desirable that a relatively simple, sure operating and economically produced type of such device be provided especially in terms of its suitability for use by persons, mainly diabetics, who must self-administer medication by injection method.